Fit by 40 update

I wish I'd had the appreciation for slow and steady progress in my twenties that I do now. It would have saved me a lot of grief and frustration.

As of this month, I have officially been going to the gym for nine months. I spent the first few months floundering a little, unsure about what my routine should look like or how much weight I should be lifting. I almost want to write off everything before February, since that's really when I think things clicked into place and I started making real progress, but I know those first few months helped lay the foundation I needed to become confident in the gym and come to actually enjoy it.

I didn't feel great about my workouts in May, but my InBody Scan showed excellent progress. That really proved to me that a consistent, sustainable habit really does pay off. Rome wasn't built in a day and all that; one bad month or a week of over-indulgence isn't going to undo the progress I've made.

It doesn't seem like a lot but when you're expecting negative results, it feels like cause for celebration!

I should have kept that in mind when I prepared for my June scan, because I went into it expecting the worst.

After a week on the cruise with minimal workouts and so much over-indulgence, I had the hardest time getting back on track with running. I kept up with the gym, but my home weigh-ins told me I'd gained about three pounds on the cruise and I could only shake two of them. I was sure that extra pound was fat because I didn't feel my best and my eating was off all month.

Imagine my surprise to see more forward progress! My body fat percentage dropped, my muscle mass increased, and while I did gain a little weight in my belly like I'd expected, I'd still lost fat. That pound I've been fluctuating barely registered on the scan, and the slight increase can be attributed to muscle.

I keep learning this lesson over and over: an off week isn't going to undo everything; even an off month isn't powerful enough to set me back significantly. The gains I've made have taken me nine months and it will take more than one month to undo them.

I'm at my original BFP goal now, but I don't think I'm quite where I want to be aesthetically, although I see improvements. Ten months ago, I was seriously considering getting liposuction on the little accumulation of fat under my chin. Now, it's hardly noticeable. I feel like I'm getting my face back, and that is priceless.

After this morning's scan and workout.

I don't know what percentage will be the magic number, but the trainer I met with today wants me to aim to gain three pounds of muscle this month and get my BFP to 22%, which will actually increase my weight on my home scale. Three pounds of muscle in a month sounds ambitious, and I'm going to have to mentally prepare myself for the scale to go up!

In nine months, I've lost 9.5 pounds of fat, dropping my body fat percentage from 30% to 23%. And the best part is I truly feel like I've finally found the key to the long-term lifestyle change. I don't feel burnt out. I don't feel like getting to the gym is impossible. I actually just feel great! 

I am so proud of myself, and there's nowhere to go but forward!

Ali